Bitter coffee
by And-from-Andriani
Summary: He is the worst customer Alice ever came across, but first impressions are often proved wrong. [Modern AU] (edited on 23.05.20)
1. Chapter 1

"Alice, please!"

"Look, I can't leave the kitchen right now, I have a whole bunch of cookies to supervise."

"Leave them to me! You must come at once! That guy is deadly, I'm telling you"

Alice Liddell could only sigh at her co-worker's pleading eyes. She really needs to attend to cookies, but Alice isn't as heartless as to desert her colleague in a time of need.

"Don't remember signing up for being the resident trouble-shooter", - she says grumpily, reluctantly taking her gloves and baking apron off.

Her colleague only beams at her. "Because you are one already! Remember when those twins tried to set a table on fire?"

Alice remembers. She wishes she didn't though, the memory isn't particularly pleasant.

"And when that crazy albino guy nearly shot poor Ann for as much as brushing past his chair.."

Alice shudders, as she takes her cooking hair net off and re-ties her hair in a neat bun. That particular memory isn't pleasant either. They really should do something about weapon-carrying laws in this country. She rinses her hands, as her colleague continues to praise her for saving Ann. She barely listens.

"..but I personally think this guy takes the cake. His voice is freezing!"

So much for a peaceful afternoon. Alice takes a quick look in a mirror to make sure her appearance is presentable and with a deep breath heads to the main area. Whatever it is, she needs to sort it out as soon as possible to make those cookies in time. Today is Thursday, Nightmare's hospital day; she will need everything at her disposal to make sure the boss of hers is in decent mood when he returns.

She spots the current troublemaker almost immediately. He is as tall as Gray, but what she notices first is not his impressive built or expensive-looking black coat. It's his hair, pulled back in a ponytail.

Alice has never seen any woman with hair of such finesse, let alone a man. It falls past his shoulders, cascades down in long navy waves until it reaches waist level.

_Woah_.

Too preoccupied with admiring this shampoo-model hair, Alice catches the conversation going on, only when she reaches the table of this Rapunzel guy.

"You call this coffee?"

Poor Tom can only mumble in response, clearly intimidated by the coldest voice Alice has ever heard. Well, perhaps, that is the way nature tries to compensate for those glorious strands of hair.

"Is there a problem here, sir? Can I assist you in any way?", - she asks in the sweetest voice she could muster.

Both Tom and his accuser turn to her. Tom's face is one of relief. Not that Alice really notices when she finds herself lost in what she thinks are the most sapphire-like blue eyes she had ever seen.

_Woah_, Alice thinks for the second time, when the same cold voice returns her to reality.

"Are you the manager here? Perhaps, you can tell me why I was served the sewer water instead of black coffee I ordered"

It takes all of Alice's composure not to flinch. She can clearly see precisely why Laura said this client was worse than the albino guy from last week. (_Name is Peter_, he wrote on a napkin, _please give me a call, my dove_._ I believe we are destined to be together. _He even had the audacity to dot his i's with hearts. It was highly satisfying to burn the said napkin later).

This particular guy seems hardly the type to leave his number or draw hearts, Alice thinks when she forces herself to speak as politely and professionally as she could.

"We are very sorry the coffee wasn't to your liking, sir. Perhaps, we could.."

The impertinent guy doesn't even let her finish.

"It's supposed to be Lizard's shift right now. Where is he?", - the question is abrupt and demanding.

He must mean Gray, Alice realizes, for there was no one else in their café who qualifies for such a nickname. As far as the girl recalls, Gray doesn't like being addressed like that. She wonders whether this customer is on close terms with her friend and co-worker, who also happens to be their best barista. There is simply no one who could make coffee and hot chocolate the way Gray could. Clover café is so popular partly due to his skills.

He was supposed to be here today. But since its second Thursday of a month, he is frogmarching Nightmare to his regular medical check. Nightmare couldn't be left unsupervised when it came to hospitals.

"Unfortunately", - Alice tries to sound as apologetic as she can, noticing with displeasure that Tom has already fled the scene, leaving her to deal with an extremely difficult customer on her own _again_, - "Mr. Ringmarc couldn't make it today"

"I bet it's because of that good-for-nothing Caterpillar", - the long-haired man snorts in indignation. As he towers over Alice, hands folded over his chest, with displeasure clear on his face, Alice desperately wishes Nightmare was around. There are never any conflicts at the café when her boss bothers to show up; it seems almost magical how Nightmare could handle anyone, almost as if he could read their thoughts. Alice is at a complete loss as to what to offer to this customer to avoid him making a scene. She needs to come up with something quick or Nightmare would surely use it as an excuse not to go to a hospital in the future. She promised there wouldn't be any problems with him away.

Behind the man's shoulder Laura shots her a sympathetic look. _Cookies_, Alice mouths to her. The last thing she needs right now is for her cookies to burn to a crisp. Laura nods and disappears in the kitchen.

"So, is there anyone else around here who can make coffee?", - the question is insulting when asked inside the café and the clear disdain that laces it doesn't help. Alice feels her own temper rising, but bites a nasty remark back.

"Though if this is the best you can serve", - at this the man gestures at the mug on his table, - "I could have spared my breath. There is obviously no one". Observation is delivered in a dry voice, cold enough to freeze a volcano over.

_Customer first, customer first_, Alice reminds herself, because she is fuming now. However, jerk or not the man _is_ a customer, and Nightmare will be displeased with her if she wouldn't handle this somehow. She simply can't afford to give him a piece of her mind.

"We apologize for the inconvenience, sir. Perhaps, you could give us one more chance?"

Now he is staring her down with these sapphire eyes of his. It would be a wonderfully handsome face if it wasn't for a scowl he is wearing.

"A chance, you say? A chance to serve me another cup of undrinkable liquid?"

How much she wishes she could just show him the door. But instead Alice tries to sound as pleasant as possible.

"At Clover café we aim to keep our customers happy and satisfied. We are truly sorry we didn't manage to fulfill your order to your liking, but please let us redo it. We will serve you another cup of coffee and if it will also fail to meet your expectations, we will not charge you for any of it"

Judging from Rapunzel guy's expression, he is about to say how little faith he has in their ability to make _anything_ to his liking, so Alice quickly continues, throwing him one more bait.

"We will also provide you with our freshest cookies as an apology gift"

God bless Laura who chooses to show up with the big tray of deliciously smelling cookies this very moment.

Nightmare will be furious, Alice dejectedly thinks, observing how the man in front of her takes in the baked goods. Those are not meant for sale, but for Nightmare's personal indulgence, but then again reputation of an establishment depends so much on reviews these days. And this man seems sour and eloquent enough to write something scathing on each and every website available. Sacrifices must be made.

"So what would you say, sir?", - Alice throws the man her best smile. Now she used up all of her weapons and can only pray it is enough.

He eyes cookies suspiciously.

"These are not made by Lizard, are they?", - he certainly must've known Gray for some time if he is familiar with the barista's inability to produce anything edible apart from drinks.

"No, sir! These ones are baked by Alice over here!", - Laura cheerfully answers.

Rapunzel guy seems to contemplate for some moments, then he nods.

Alice is about to cry with relief, when he speaks again.

"I am willing to accept your offer on one condition"

Just what else could this insufferable man want?

"_You_ make the coffee"

Alice almost gapes, when he points straight at her. He wants _her_ to make coffee? Absurd! Impossible! She is not a barista here, surely she can't..

"No problem, sir! Our Alice will attend to it! ", - before she can utter a word of protest, Laura speaks again, - "Same order, sir? Black coffee?". When the man jerkily nods and finally takes a seat, Laura whisks away the cookie tray and the cup of rejected coffee with her. Alice has no choice, but to follow suit.

"What was that about? You are perfectly aware I don't know a single thing about coffee-making!", - the moment they are in the kitchen, Alice finally snaps.

"Hey, you hang out with our barista so often, surely he taught you a thing or two", - Laura smiles reassuringly, putting the tray aside and going to the sink to dispose of the coffee the man so bluntly rejected. "Besides, your cookies are good enough to compensate for any bad coffee. It was a stroke of a genius to suggest them"

Alice sighs. She just wanted to avoid a scene and possibly some horrible reviews on the café's website. But she is not sure if it is really worth it.

Tom is their second barista and if his skills were not enough to satisfy this demanding customer, what chance does she stand? She only prolongs the agony.

But she has to try regardless, so Alice makes it to the coffee tools and searches for a recipe notebook Gray uses sometimes.

When sometime later she carries a green clover-patterned tray with a coffee mug, Alice feels the sense of dread overwhelming her. It is the same she feels during exams, a sensation familiar and highly unpleasant for such a diligent student as her.

She carefully places the tray on a table, mentally bracing herself for the inevitable.

"Here you go, sir. Sorry for the wait"

"About bloody time", - he mutters, taking a mug into his hands. His hands are nicely shaped, Alice can't help but notice. Actually, when he doesn't scowl or try to reduce innocent waiters to dust thorough the sheer power of his stare, Rapunzel guy is quite a fine specimen of a man. But Alice shakes herself out of her reverie, preparing for the blow that is about to come any second now. The big package of cookies is waiting in her apron's pocket.

He takes a sip and as the girl expected, his face turns into a scowl once more.

"Hardly better than the previous one. You said you'd make the coffee this time", - his voice is cold and accusatory.

"And I kept my word, sir", - Alice meets his disbelieving eyes with as much dignity as she can muster at the moment, - "I am just not very experienced with coffee-making. This is the first cup I've ever brewed"

The look he is giving her is one of surprise. Why in the world did he think she should be good at brewing coffee, to begin with, is really beyond Alice. But surely..

"Why are you working at the café if you are this bad at making coffee?", - now Alice has officially decided that Blood Dupre is no longer the most insufferable man on her list. This man by far outdid _everyone_ in her wide circle of crazy acquaintances. In less than twenty minutes.

But she is at work and can't let the sparks fly, no matter how much Alice wants to take the mug out of his hands and spill the remaining contents all over the man's gorgeous hair.

"My deepest apologies if I failed your expectations, sir. As promised coffee will not be charged for", - she fishes the package of cookies out of her pocket, - "And here is our apology gift. Please, accept it".

She carefully places the cookies on the table and hastily retreats, not trusting herself around this man a second longer.

In the kitchen both Tom and Laura are already waiting for her.

"You did so well", - Laura tells her warmly.

Alice shakes her head. "I did horribly. Now we have no cookies for Nightmare and surely will find some nasty reviews all over the web pretty soon"

Tom peeks out in the main area.

"Hey, the guy finally left!"

"I will go clean the table", - Laura volunteers, and Alice can only nod in gratitude.

She starts the faucet running, letting the cold water cool her slightly shaky fingers.

It is just her luck to come across heartless pricks while at work when she ought to keep herself in check. But this guy.. Handsome or not, he almost made her lose it.

"Hey, Alice!", - Laura is calling out to her, her face excited, -"Look at this!"

Alice comes closer, observing the tray her colleague has in her hands. As expected there is a barely touched mug of coffee, money, as well as a note on it.

Wait, money?

"Apparently the cookies soothed the beast! He left more than enough for two cups", - Laura happily grins, - "And take a look at the note!"

Alice carefully takes a piece of paper and examines it, not knowing what to expect. Surely not his number? At least not a napkin this time, she wryly thinks. The paper is of good quality, cream-coloured and smooth, the type you find in expensive leather-covered notebooks. The calligraphic handwriting matches it.

_Not bad for a first try. _

_Learn how to grind beans properly._

As I thought, Alice thinks dryly, not the type to dot the i's with hearts.

But the nerve of the man!

"See? This is why we call you when a troublesome customer shows up", - Laura smiles at her with adoration.

"You are just as good as Mr. Gottschalk", - Tom joins in, - "Or maybe even better"

"Totally better! Only Alice can save the day _and_ get a hot guy's number"

"There is no number", - Alice mutters, feeling a strong desire to crumble the note in her fingers, but the handwriting is just so pretty..

"But he has to return in order to check on your progress with bean-grinding", - both Laura and Tom smile triumphantly, seemingly taking the last sentence as a sort of promise.

Alice wants to bang her head on the kitchen counter.


	2. Chapter 2

Surprisingly when Nightmare learns where his cookies went, he isn't angry.

"I know who it was", - he smiles amusedly, - "Has been a while since last time he showed up"

"Please, don't tell me he is a regular", - Alice pleads, her hands occupied with a cup of Gray's hot chocolate. God, she really needed one.

"You can say so", - Gray replies instead, bringing two more cups of chocolate for Nightmare and himself, - "I call him Clockman"

"What a weird nickname", - "Rapunzel guy" certainly suits the man better.

"He wears clocks on his persona", - Gray shrugs.

Alice tries to remember if the man wore any, but can't. She was too stressed to notice anything, really. She is surprised she managed to notice as much about him as she did.

"Anyway, don't mind him much. That man is a coffee-addict and a particularly difficult one to please as well", - Gray shots her a reassuring smile.

"Tom told me you handled him very well. Didn't even raise your voice once", - Nightmare says approvingly.

Gray raises his cup of chocolate in a fake toast.

"That is quite an accomplishment. Clockman is the worst nightmare of any barista"

"Hey!", - Nightmare protests, not appreciating his rare name being used like this.

"And you are the worst nightmare of any doctor", - Gray retorts and turns to Alice, not paying the slightest attention to Nightmare's pouting, - "Can you imagine what he had done today?"

For the life of her, Alice can't. As usual with Nightmare, each visit to a hospital is a story worth being turned into a movie. The creativity the silver-haired man demonstrates when trying to sneak out long ago turned him into a legend within the local hospital. Honestly, she thinks the boss of theirs would run out of ideas sooner or later..

"Did he hide inside the broom closet again?", - she takes a wild guess.

"Ha! If only", - Gray sighs, clearly chagrined, - "Actually he.."

Alice's eyes widen as Gray quickly describes what took place earlier today. Apparently no problems with ideas yet.

"Nightmare..", - she is beyond surprised, - "You stole a lab coat and pretended to be one of the doctors?!"

"The scary part is that they actually _listened_ to him", - Gray adds, despite himself sounding almost awed.

"Just proves how awesome I am", - Nightmare looks smug for a couple of moments, but his bubble of confidence quickly bursts under the scrutinizing gazes of his subordinates. "In my defense I was left unsupervised", - he quickly supplies in a quieter voice, attempting to hide his face behind the rim of his cup.

"For lousy five minutes which I took to fetch you some water you asked for!", - Gray gets worked up and is glaring daggers. To his credit, Nightmare has the decency to look apologetic.

Unable to stay mad at his boss for too long, Gray sighs in defeat and proceeds with the story.

Alice can only shake her head in disbelief.

"..and when a nurse wanted to prick his finger for a blood sample, he screamed bloody murder and run up the wall. Literally"

Alice gasps.

"But how?!" Nightmare is many things, but certainly no acrobat.

"I did nothing of the sort!", - Nightmare vehemently denies.

"Oh really?", - Gray raises an eyebrow, - "Then pray tell me, Mr. Gottschalk, who was it, clinging to the chandelier, when frantic nurses called me in? Spiderman?"

Alice takes a sip from her cup, only half-listening to her friends' usual bickering when a sudden idea strikes her.

"Mm, Gray?"

"Yes?", - as usual with Gray, no matter how busy he is explaining to petulant Nightmare why exactly wailing like a banshee and scaring the daylights out of the rest of the patients is a bad idea, he is quick to pay attention to her.

"You said this Clockman guy is a regular here?"

After a moment of contemplation, Gray nods.

"He drops in from time to time, yes. Always orders black coffee only. So I am quite surprised you managed to bribe him with cookies", - his lips curl into an amused smirk.

"_My_ cookies", - Nightmare pretends to sulk.

"Does that mean he can possibly come again?", - Alice prefers to ignore her boss's pretense, knowing fully well what he aims at – to get her to bake another batch.

"Quite likely", - Gray shrugs, - "Don't worry, I will deal with him if he drops by"

"But what if he comes when you're not around, like today?"

"You handled him marvelously well, Alice. Surely you can do it again", - Nightmare lazily twirls a spoon in his cup of chocolate.

"I am not sure I will manage to pull it off again", - really one talk to that man left her more emotionally drained than the whole twins-trying-to-burn-a-table ordeal.

"You have something in mind?", - now her boss is looking at her with curiosity shining in his one good eye and as it often happens Alice has a disconcerting sense that Nightmare is reading her mind.

"I think it would be better if I learn how to make coffee. You know, just in case", - Alice tries to sound nonchalant. Though making coffee isn't a part of her duties, it makes total sense to prepare beforehand, she quickly assures herself.

Both men chuckle good-naturedly.

"Not sure if Clockman is worth your effort, Alice, but if you want, I can give you some pointers", - Gray smiles warmly at her.

* * *

Today is just _not _her day, Alice firmly decides as she hurriedly makes her way from the bus station to Clover café. First, she made a stupid mistake in her practice test (something her tutor warned her against so many times in the past). Then some guy with pink(!) hair and way too many piercings pestered her throughout the whole bus ride for her number. He was so insistent the girl had to resort to lies and tell him she had a boyfriend already. Which is certainly not true, not after everything she went through. She is done with romance and is doing just fine without it, thank you very much.

But it seems that her day had more in store for her.

"Alice!", - having _both_ Laura and Ann look at her as their last source of hope was a bad sign. A very, very bad sign. Still Alice pretends nothing is out of ordinary.

"Is something the matter?", - the girl asks as she changes into her green uniform. Ann and Laura exchange quick glances.

"We're running low on some supplies, and turns out Mr. Gottschalk forgot to make a call and confirm the delivery..", - Ann starts.

"So Mr. Ringmarc went straight to the suppliers in order to fix it", - Laura finishes for her.

So far, so good.

"So what is the problem?", - just like Nightmare to forget to order things beforehand. But it's evening already. Surely, they have enough of everything to last one evening.

"_He_ is here", - Laura announces in a sepulchral voice.

"Who?", - Alice is busy, trying to tie her hair neatly. She is really not in the mood to guess. Heaven knows they receive enough of challenging customers on a daily basis.

"Do you even need to ask? The coffee freak, of course!", - Laura gives her a pointed look, - "Tom refuses to even try to make coffee for him"

Okay. This certainly qualifies as an emergency situation.

Cursing Tom below her breath, Alice swings the double doors to the main area.

The Clockman is there, looking even more displeased than the first time she saw him (no surprise if no one bothered to take his order). However, as Alice hurriedly makes her way to his table, she realizes that there might be another reason for his obvious irritation. The man is actually speaking to someone on the phone and his voice is downright annoyed.

"Its just two blocks away. How the hell did you manage to get lost?"

Whatever is said in response clearly doesn't raise Rapunzel guy's spirits.

"Ask someone for directions!", - he tiredly leans against the back of his chair, - "What do you mean, no one around? Just where the devil are you?"

The response makes the man facepalm in exasperation.

"How did you get _there_ of all places?", - Rapunzel guy's frown deepens, - "You know what, never mind. Just catch a damn taxi"

He presses the off button with more force than necessary and scowls at the screen, before sliding the phone back into his pocket.

The scowl intensifies, when he finally spots her beside his table. Alice barely manages to murmur greetings when her practiced speech is cut short.

"Don't tell me Lizard is out again", - the man doesn't even bother to at least nod a greeting.

_Good evening to you too_, Alice mentally says, meanwhile forcing herself to smile apologetically.

"I am terribly sorry, sir. It is an emergency"

"Stupid Caterpillar probably messed something up yet again", - the man mutters, but he sounds more resigned than angry. It seems, she is not the only one who is having a bad day.

He looks tired, though he still manages to look impeccable in his black button-up coat with a grey shirt and black neck-tie. Now that Alice can take a proper look at him, she scans him for the clocks Gray mentioned. She expected a wrist-watch, maybe a clock chain of some sort, and is quite surprised to see instead a long clock earring hanging from his left ear, half-hidden by his long tresses of hair (which looks as gorgeous as she remembers).

As she takes him in, Alice can't help, but feel sympathetic (Nightmare is spot on when he accuses her of being partial to good looking men).

"Can I get you anything, sir?", - but of course, her sympathy is grossly misplaced.

"A cup of poison, perhaps", - he eyes a cup of cappuccino Tom is busy concocting and Alice notices how Clockman visibly shudders when some strawberry syrup is being generously added into it.

"I can make you a cup of black coffee, if you would like", - Alice offers. She has been dutifully practicing under Gray's tutelage the whole week and though her coffee obviously doesn't reach her teacher's level of expertise, she feels more confident suggesting it. After all, that cute guy in a funny hat drank a whole pot and even wanted to give her a kiss to express his gratitude! Not that she allowed him, of course, but his praise seemed sincere.

"As if it isn't the same thing", - Rapunzel guy's expression is sour, - "Even if you learned how to grind coffee beans"

Alice feels her anger rising. So much hard work and this is all she gets?

"Why don't you give it a try, sir? It might be better than you expect", - she challenges him.

He gives her an evaluating look for some seconds, then sighs.

"I suppose this day can't get any worse", - he folds his hands across his chest and looks straight into her eyes, - "Fine. Go ahead. Surprise me"

And something about his cold tone makes Alice's blood boil.

_Challenge accepted._

* * *

"Hey, Alice! Look!"

"Coffee freak is here again"

As expected her co-workers didn't like the "Clockman" nickname, preferring to refer to the man as "coffee freak" instead (obviously, first making sure the said man is out of earshot).

Alice sighs heavily but makes her way to a sink to wash her hands.

It became some sort of a routine. There is an unspoken agreement between her colleagues and her that Alice is to deal with this particular customer if he chooses to come during her shift. If he shows up, no matter how many waiters are there on a duty, she has to stop whatever she is doing and attend to him. If Gray is not on a shift, it is her responsibility to make coffee as well as serve it.

Just like now.

As she is making her way to the secluded corner of the café he prefers to sit at, Alice once more marvels at his hair. Really, no matter how many times the girl sees it, she can't help but admire it and wonder which hair products he uses. In all honesty, hair isn't the only appealing thing about his appearance. His face is handsome and he is nicely built. Too bad that the sour expression he usually wears as well as his grumpy tone of voice ruin the whole impression.

Alice doesn't bother bringing a menu, but she greets him with her politest smile and her little notebook ready.

"Good afternoon, sir. What can I get for you today?"

"Black coffee", - he orders brusquely, - "And make sure not to over grind the beans like last time"

"One black coffee coming right up"

She makes it back to the kitchen, mentally bracing herself for yet another mean comment on her coffee-making skills. He always makes some. The man even has the gall to _grade_ her coffee! However, she is not the one to back down from a challenge. Alice may not be as beautiful and perfect as Lorina, but she is used to being praised for her diligence and hard work. Even her tutor considered her a fast learner.

She will show this guy she is worthy of being praised!

As Alice is trying to remember everything Gray taught her so far, she can't help but wonder if it's just her imagination or does the Clockman really turn up during her shift more often lately, though she made sure to provide him with the details of Gray's schedule. The mere idea makes the girl snicker. Probably, that's just her getting overworked.

"Thirty points", - the infuriating Clockman comments as soon as he gulps a bit of her latest concoction.

"Out of thirty, sir?", - she is trying to lighten the atmosphere with a small joke, just to cringe inwardly at the cold look he shots her.

"You wish. Out of a hundred"

Alice slightly winces. She isn't used to such low grades, no matter the subject, but the girl knows better than to argue. Instead she takes out her small notebook again.

"Any feedback, sir?"

Clockman shots her a long look before he starts speaking. It is a sort of ritual between them: after a cup of coffee would be tried and given a score it was time for a small lecture about the ways to better it. Each time it happens, Alice can't help but feel impressed at how knowledgeable this man is about coffee. Definitely, a coffee-addict. Even his voice changes when the Rapunzel guy starts describing the correct way of handling coffee tools. As he continues listing what exactly she'd done wrong this time, its as if he witnessed her making it. He can even tell she used cloth filter!

"You surely know your coffee, sir", - Alice admits as his comments take three pages to write down. At this rate she will need a new notebook soon.

"I wouldn't have any right to grade it if I didn't", - he shrugs, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

But thirty points worth or not, the mug is empty when she comes to clean the table later. Alice has no idea why she finds the fact so satisfying.


End file.
